1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a bank system using the Internet.
2. Description of the Related Art
With recent rapid development of the Internet, it has become possible to make various commercial transactions on the Internet.
Utilization of the Internet has also progressed in banking transactions. Users are now able to, from personal computers (abbreviated to “PCs” hereinafter) at home, log in to bank server apparatuses (referred to as “bank servers” hereinafter) installed in banks for transferring money to another bank account, confirming the balance of a bank account, taking out a loan, opening a new bank account, and closing a bank account.
In such a case, each user first accesses to the bank server. Responsive to access, the bank server transmits log-in screen information to the user PC via the Internet. The user PC has a browser installed therein beforehand, and the browser displays, on the PC, a screen defined by the received screen data.
The user enters a log-in account and a password on the log-in screen displayed by the browser, whereupon the log-in account and the password are transmitted to the bank server. Then, the bank server authenticates the user's log-in.
Corresponding to data sent from the user PC, the bank server transmits information of screens, such as a transfer screen and a balance confirmation screen, to the user PC.
Looking at the displayed screen, the user is able to confirm the balance, for example. Also, the user can instruct the bank server to perform various transactions (various processes on a bank account) by entering necessary items on the transfer screen, etc. and sending them to the bank server.
When trading with banks through Internet banking, however, it has been conventional only to display screen data transmitted from the bank server on a client terminal device (referred to as a “client terminal” hereinafter) using a browser, or to transmit data entered by the user on a predetermined screen to the bank server. Thus, the user cannot prepare, in the off-line condition, data instructing transactions with the bank server.
Also, there has not been practiced application software, such as household account-book software, reflecting the contents of an electronic bankbook (deposit bankbook in the electronic form) that are updated upon transactions with the bank server.
Further, when accounts are opened in the same bank under the names of individual family members, for example, the accounts under the different names have been treated independently of each other. Therefore, even in such a trivial matter that the parent transfers some little money to an account under the child name, the same process as in the ordinary case of transferring money to another bank account has been required.
Accordingly, a first object of the present invention is to provide an Internet banking system which can present services more familiar to daily life of individual users.
Recently, Internet terminals have been installed in elementary and middle schools, and how to access the Internet has been educated to pupils. Thus, the skill for utilizing the Internet has been popularized as a capability generally required for living in society regardless of ages.
However, services provided from the bank server include one that should be avoided from allowing access from any unrestricted persons depending on attributes of accessing users, such as represented by a case of setting up a large amount of loan when the user is a pupil in an elementary school.
Accordingly, a second object of the present invention is to provide a bank server, etc. which can limit available banking services depending on user attributes.
By utilizing the Internet environment, a client is able to access the bank server from any of client terminals, i.e., PCs installed at home and in job site, as well as a portable terminal.
Although the user can access a bank account from a plurality of client terminals, information indicating at what time the previous log-in has been made from which one of the client terminals has not been presented in the past at the time of logging-in to the bank server from the user.
Therefore, it has been hard for the user to confirm the past access records, thus giving rise to a problem from the viewpoint of security.
In other words, there has been a problem that even if a third person fraudulently access a user's bank account from any of terminals belonging to the user, the user is hardly aware of the unauthorized access.
Accordingly, a third object of the present invention is to reduce risks of information leak from a client terminal to third persons and unauthorized accesses from third persons when servicing bank business via the Internet.
From the viewpoint of security, user accessibility to the bank server from many desired places increases opportunities that entry items inputted by a user from the client terminal are exposed to the eyes of third persons.
Various items of information to be kept secret from third persons, such as the log-in account, the user's bank account number, the bank account number to which money is transferred, and the amount of money transferred, are displayed on the client terminal. Therefore, a possibility that information is leaked to third persons is increased in comparison with a conventional case of dealing with the bank account from a bank office, ATM, etc.
Also, when a user moves away from an operating place while keeping a client terminal logged-in to a bank server, there is a possibility that any third person fraudulently accesses the bank server after the user has left the operating place.
Further, in some of conventional bank servers, line connection is forcibly cut off if a certain period of time lapses from the start of displaying a screen on the client terminal. In such a server, however, the certain period of time is fixedly set for all various kinds of screens such as a log-in screen and a transaction screen. Further, in spite of the server forcibly logging out the client terminal and cutting off the line connection, a screen image remains displayed on the client terminal.
Screens to be displayed on the client terminal include various forms ranging, for example, from a log-in screen that is preferably erased in the shortest possible time after entry of necessary items has been completed in time as short as possible, to a transfer screen that has many entry items such as the name of the transferee bank, the bank account number to which money is transferred, and the amount of money transferred, and hence requires a long display time to be set. However, setting of the display time depending on the kinds of screens has not been made in the past.
Accordingly, a fourth object of the present invention is to enable a timeout period to be set for each screen and to further reduce risks of information leak to third persons and unauthorized accesses from third persons.